(Not Just) Knee Deep

"(Not Just) Knee Deep"
Single by Funkadelic
from the album Uncle Jam Wants You
A-side	"(Not Just) Knee Deep - Pt. 1"
B-side	"(Not Just) Knee Deep - Pt. 2"
Released	1979
Format	7", 12"
Genre	P-Funk
Length	15:21 (album version)
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	George Clinton
Producer	George Clinton
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Funkadelic singles chronology
"Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock?" (1978) "(Not Just) Knee Deep" (1979) "Uncle Jam Wants You" (1979)

"(Not Just) Knee Deep" is a funk song running 15 minutes, 21 seconds on side 1 of Funkadelic's 1979 album Uncle Jam Wants You.

Song information

An edited version of the song, appearing as Side A on the single release, reached number one on the Billboard Black Singles chart. The song was written by George Clinton and Walter "Junie" Morrison^{[citation needed]} but the songwriting credit is listed as "George Clinton, Jr." on the album pressing as a gift to Clinton's son. The songwriting credit on the single, however, is listed as George Clinton. The song also features vocals from Philippé Wynne, who was a former lead of the soul band, The Spinners which he left a year earlier.

The song is about a girl who is the, "freak of the week" and dances "never missing a beat." It is widely seen as a funk classic, peaking at number seventy-seven on the Hot 100, and topping the US R&B charts.^[1] in 1979 in heavily edited form. The lyrics deal with a man meeting a woman, presumably at a party; she dances for him. He is unimpressed by the Jerk, the Monkey, the Moose and the Chicken, but is blown away by the Freak.

Personnel

• Lead vocals: George Clinton, Garry Shider, Walter Morrison, Jessica Cleaves, Philippé Wynne
• Lead guitar: Michael Hampton, Garry Shider
• Keyboards: Walter "Junie" Morrison
• Drums: William "Bootsy" Collins
• Percussion: Larry Fratangelo
• Background vocals:Larry Heckstall, Sheila Horne, Ron Ford, Jeanette McGruder, Dawn Silva, Mike Payne, Greg Thomas, Ray Davis, Mallia Franklin, Lige Curry, James Wesley Jackson, Greg Boyer, Jerome Rogers, Linda Shider

Sampled in other music

The song is considered a classic and has been heavily sampled by many artists. Hip hop group De La Soul sampled the intro to the song in their hit "Me, Myself, and I", which reached #34 on the Billboard Pop Charts and #1 on the R&B Charts.

Also LL Cool J ("Nitro"), Above The Law ("Never Missin A Beat"), Tone Loc ("Funky Cold Medina"), MC Hammer & Deion Sanders ("Straight to My Feet") and Snoop Dogg ("Who Am I (What's My Name)?"), G-Funk Intro & his unreleased track "Do U Remember". Geto Boys sampled the intro for "Homie Don't Play That". The Black Eyed Peas also used the beat behind it to remix their hit single "Shut Up". X-Clan sampled the song in Funkin' Lesson. It was also interpolated in the song "Get Away" by Bobby Brown.

EPMD sampled it in their song "Gold Digger", and Digital Underground used it in two of their songs, "Kiss You Back" and "Bran Nu Swetta".

Rapper Tupac Shakur sampled the song for his "Intro/Bomb First (My Second Reply)".

In 1996, Vanessa Williams sampled "Knee Deep" for her song "Happiness".

Dr. Dre's song, "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')", is based on "Knee Deep".

Appearances in other media

• Featured in the 1997 movie Good Burger during the insane asylum scene (which featured George Clinton as one of the mental patients who complained about the music and asks Ed [Kel Mitchell] to change the song on the radio)
• Featured in the 2001 movie The Wash.
• Featured in the 2003 video game True Crime: Streets of LA.
• Performed by George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars on the FOX television series "New York Undercover in 1995.
• Performed by George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars on "Late Night With David Letterman" on June 25, 1991.

References

1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 450. 

External links

• Song Review at Allmusic

Preceded by "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson

Billboard Hot Soul Singles number-one single October 13–27, 1979

Succeeded by "Ladies' Night" by Kool & the Gang